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- MrFisty, on 10/12/2007, -0/+17Did anyone else think of Homer Simpson's 'amazing invention'? Come on, we've all had a dream like that.
Besides, the Mac is not classic. Why? Because they've changed it. Ooo beige... timeless.
Come on, let's see the Swiss Army Knife or a Porsche 911 or a Gibson Les Paul. - mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -6/+17The industrial designers for Apple (including the people who design their packaging) are renowned as some of the best and most influential in the world.
- Areku, on 10/12/2007, -6/+16Of course, they had to throw the iPod in there... ;)
- epicac, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14Some of these designs have gotten old. They made it back because we forgot about them for a while and now they are novel. Ten years ago the bucket chair and the Apple Macintosh were pretty much relegated to basements and depressing rec centers. By the same token, after a couple more product generations, that iPod will look pretty stupid (if it doesn't already). Someday you will be driving your car and you will see a broken iPod discarded on the side of the road. Nothing is more attractive than something that has just gone out of style.
- panic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Nice to see Bic lighters on there. Those are the best lighter on the market. Sure you could spend 20 - 50 dollars on a zippo, and refuel it every week, and buy more flint for it, and then to top it off... try not to lose it. Or you can buy a Bic and have it work everytime, everywhere for weeks or months and then buy another one for the same cost as flint for your zippo. Most zippos are "wind proof" which is the only major advantage, but personally I have no problem lighting my bic in the wind. The other disposable lighters just suck, you'll be lucky if they work a week later and they light half the time. AFAIK the only design change that bics have had since the 70s is the child safety feature. good lighters.. FIRE FIRE
- srodolff, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15The Mac is not a classic design.
What computer is shaped like a Mac?
And the iPod? If it was classic, then Minis, nanos, and fleas wouldn't exist. Apple iPod Flea. Damn funny ad. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Ha, I never knew a soy sauce bottle has so much thought put into it.
- dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11Thing is, while their designs are nice, they're nothing revolutionary. They utilize ideals like minimalism, and modern fonts (for packaging). These aren't new ideas, nor are they done in any sort of hugely original way. I mean, contrasting black and white packaging? How is that avant garde?
- UmberGryphon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6A lot of those objects on that list either were considered ugly 10 years ago or will be considered ugly 10 years from now or both. Not my definition of "designs that never get old".
- Zhadum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Where's the AK-47? It's not a "nice" product, but over 100 million units have been produced in the last 60 years and it is easily the most widely recognised and distributed model of weapon in the world. Surely it has as much engineering and cultural significance as the other products mentioned
- jmnormand, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Mazda simply copied the mg in its design for the miata. Miatas were popular for a bit and still doing well today but nothing unique about them (decent redesign on the new model). however im sure the bettle/bug is in the book, suprised its not shown in the review.
- dallen, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8That same iPod design was used on personal radios in the 50s. Id say that's pretty timeless for today's standards
- TugsMcgroin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I put forth that a classic must be at least a decade old.
- absurdist, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"T120 Bonneville (1959)
Designed by Triumph Design Team
Triumph 1959 to 1983
This motorcycle, with its signature lightweight V-twin engine, was so influential that Harley-Davidson redesigned its own bikes to rival it. Compact and streamlined, the T120 Bonneville was considered a breakthrough in smaller, faster bikes."
WTF?!?!?!?!
The Triumph Speed twin and all its descendants are VERTICAL twins. As in two cylinders side-by-side in a vertical arrangement. Harleys are V-twins, with the cylinders inline in a 45 degree V arrangement. Sorry, but as a biker geek, this makes the rest of the article more than a little suspect.
And of course, this year marked the retirement of the London Routemaster buses from all but a very few tourist routes in London. Brilliant. :(( - Continuum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I think a Design that doesn't get old is something that you just cannot make any better for the most part.
For example, a pen is a timeless design I believe. people try to make variations of pens but they are all the same basic idea. If you can make a better pen than the ones today, you will be a millionaire in no time.
most of the items on this list are not what i would consider designs that never get old. The whistle I agree with, along with the Bic lighter and Soy Sauce container. they are a good combination of form and function.
The rest are more gimicky to me compared to those. and I know most people will mod this down because i am dissing the iPod. While the iPod may be a timeless design, it is a little early to tell. I imagine many people thought Sony Walkman's were the smallest portable music would ever get. My point is, the iPod may be a "design that never gets old" but gimme a break, its not even hit puberty yet. - etruscan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm in total agreement with this choice (even if I'm not so sure on the others). Bic lighters have got to be one of the greatest design implementations of the 20th century. The simplicity, mixed in with the fact that when you hold one in your hand you're almost completely unaware of it.
Hmmm. I suppose that's the reason friends keep taking them...
I revise my earlier statement. Bic sucks. - SuperCujo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3There was no Harley on the list... There was a Triumph, but no Harley.
- xpack10, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I feel that the article was a little Apple skewed (the iPod is not a classic yet)
- Continuum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3People are not saying the iPod is a bad design, they are just saying it is not a "design that never gets old".
It can't be. It isn't old at all! - fivepics, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The 12 items in the list are from a compendium of 999 items in a 3-volume book collection, Phaidon Design Classics, which I saw in Borders the other day. I'd have jumped on it, because I generally like books from Phaidon Press, but it was $175 for the set, and even a 30% off coupon was too much. I can't argue with the choices presented here, but I'd really like to see all 999 together.
- omenmedia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@abstraxion
Is it really so hard to believe when there are about 15 *billion* cigarettes sold daily?
Source: http://www.wpro.who.int/media_centre/fact_sheets/fs_20020528.htm - Starble, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5I don't quite agree that it has to be adopted by others to be classic, though by that standard the iMac colors are classic as all get out.
But as nifty as that Mac looks still... I would have to add that the Mac Classic (!) is much nicer. Less bulky and blocky, more smooth. A more ergonomic mouse and a lighter keyboard. Cool gray instead of warm beige.
Not that I'd trade it in for my MacBook Pro :) - tjl2015, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2-Something you can't make any better...how about duct tape? Although, seeing it featured as an example of design would probably give several art students heart attacks.
- triforcer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i have to agree with all of them except the bus, ipod, and macintosh. the double decker is more about personal taste, but the fact is that the ipod and macintosh show their age in terms of contemporary design. i will digg for the soy sauce container, never really thought about it, but it has a great simplistic design.
- mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Jennifer Connelly, you slipped that one in you sneaky person. Good call though. :)
I'd forgotten about the Mazda Miata. Today, they're not terribly revolutionary, but I remember when they were made, it was a pretty gutsy & different design compared to what as on the road at the time. - leer317, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3The soy sauce bottle looks pretty nice... I had no idea that it dated back to the 60s!
Amazing - Universal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2MINI Cooper, Hummer H1!
- Th3_anOmoLy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The Guinness Harp
- Jangles, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think gadgets/electronics suffer the most from design in the long run. An old Mustang looks classic, A building holds history, clothes come back in waves during fads and trends. These all have appeal.
However taking a look at technology, even only a few years after it is developed it looks dated and ugly. I guess that's the nature of the industry. - bmson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Strange strange list...
iPod design will never be a classic (I'm apple fanatic)
It's way to hip.
My top 5. classic designs are (in no order...)
- Electric plug
- Guitar
- Toilet
- Scissors
- Chessmen (http://www.unclesgames.com/images/products/032137.jpg)
And many more
All these things were designed and it's classic... - Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A deck of Rider Back Poker Cards. Classic.
- sshack, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2As jmnormand pointed out, you forgot about the MG. Which along with the lotus elise is where the miata came from. and yes, I drive one.
Also, you forgot the Supermarine Spitfire and Aston Martin DB5. Two of the most recognizable vehicles in the world. The db5 being THE most recognized car in the world. (There was a study a year or two ago)
I'd also add in the gilette DE razor. - Habemus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Mag-Lite flashlight.
- BassCadet, on 10/12/2007, -13/+15I will give Apple credit for putting an effort into their industrial designs but...come on. An iPod is going to look just as stupid in 5 years as that cream-color paint on that Macintosh looks today.
Go ahead and digg me down. The further this is digged down, the more I've made my point. Brand enthusiasm cannot substitute for true classic industrial design. - accotsalas, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Umm...its there.
- Alex - bizarobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The double spout on a Soy Sauce bottle is for allowing air to flow back into the container as the sauce pours out. That way, you don't get the bloop... bloop... bloop... as air tries to flow back into the same nozzle as the product pours out. If that helps "over pouring," I'm not sure.
If you're really looking for some designs that never get old, check out this book:
"Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design"
The soy sauce bottle and bic lighter are included, but there are also well-known/appreciated designs such as the fortune cookie, the zipper, the jelly bean, the wiffle ball, the ping pong paddle, the slinky, the mag-light, the chinese take-out box, the guitar pick, the push-pin, and many other understated products. - moonshn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2you forgot... the Jeep CJ / Wrangler
- inboxnews, on 10/12/2007, -9/+10Yeah, two apple products featured, one of them I own, and guess what, it's not the iPod.
- Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11961 Lincoln Continental
Most timeless car design ever. Ford would make a bundle if they cloned that car with a modern engine (not the overrated 4.6L). - milkmage, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1zippo lighters - not too many changes since it was originally designed
- Continuum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@abstraxion
I am fairly sure Bic knows how many lighters they sell as Bic need to produce them. Even if they are exagerating, they couldn't do it by more than a couple hundred thousand. - handeyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1a lot of this ***** is already old, or i mean i dony like many of these designs
- jeffreym, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2What about:
Howard Stern's nose?
BaBaBooey's teeth?
Robin Quivers' jugs?
Fred's smile?
Arite Lange's belly?
http://celestial-reasoning.blogspot.com/ - SuperCujo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Next time you use one of those soy sauce bottles, try putting your finger over the 'air hole' and see the flow of soy sauce magically stop. It allows a more precise dispensing of the sodium laden contents.
- frem001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Designs that change everything after they are introduced are classics even if they are dated. I still think sony's original walkman still looks great. I can't see apples ipod looking outdated since the colours and shapes are simple, sure if you look at it in terms of functionailty it will be dated.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can't believe how much of a pissy fit people get over the iPod design...guess what it has been a flawless design since Jan 01 and I don't see the basic overlay changing anytime soon...just ask the competitors.
- frem001, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2that is the first iPod and it has been around for a couple of years, now put an image of one of creatives players (from the same time period) next to it and the iPod looks fantastic. you can't look at designed objects and dismis them because there is somehting better today. They should be looked at within the context of the time period. Just look at modernist houses, we dismiss them now since their clones are everywhere, but people had never seen anything like that at the time they were built.
- frem001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yes but the basic concept behind the navigation and ui haven't really changed, a lot of people use them, it will be a classic, but will be discarded first before people realize how good it was.
- tjl2015, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1How about the simple light bulb? Although all traditional incandescent bulbs have to fit in the same type of socket, they all have an identical shape. Someone just figured how to make it right once, and it hasn't been changed since. How many billions of those things have been made?
- mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I think it has more to do with endearing designs that were good enough when made, to still be commonplace today.
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